The United Nations human rights office has welcomed the Government of Iraq's response to mass protests against corruption and social inequality which crippled the country's capital earlier this month.

Addressing a press briefing in Geneva, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), lauded the Government's adoption of a reform package aimed at advancing “concrete steps” to reinforce the rule of law, improve governance and respect for human rights.

According to reports, several thousand people protested against rampant government corruption, social inequality, poor social services and lack of accountability for officials in a series of recent demonstrations that swept across the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and other cities.

“We are encouraged by these reforms and we call on the authorities to ensure that human rights are at the core of implementation,” Ms. Shamdasani told reporters. “We continue to follow developments and our office stands ready to continue supporting efforts to this end.”